Lost lions located in remote Ethiopia

Lost lions located in remote Ethiopia

According to CNN, Wildlife conservationists from Oxford University in England were able to confirm anecdotal stories of lions living in the Alatash National Park in North West Ethiopia, close to the Sudan border.

The team did not see any lions but were were able to capture clear images of the big cats on night vision cameras and were able to determine they were most likely the rare Central African sub-species.

“Lions are definitely present in Alatash National Park and in Dinder National Park. Lion presence in Alatash has not previously been confirmed in meetings at national or international level,” Hans Bauer, leader of the expedition, said.

“Considering the relative ease with which lion signs were observed, it is likely that they are resident throughout Alatash and Dinder.”

Bauer estimates between 100 and 200 lions could live in the national park.

The presence of a previously unseen group of lions is exciting news for conservationists who have seen the number of lions steeply decline in recent years.

The number of lions across Africa has dwindled to about 20,000 from an estimated 400,000 lions in the early part of last century.